Frankenfish (label)
11 November 2016 (released)
11 November 2016
Virgina's Rachael Yamagata has never been an artist to overwhelm her fanbase with annual album releases. Instead she takes her time to work on each record, allowing the previous time to breathe and live. With an impressive live reputation, the intimacy of her set and her rapport with her loyal fanbase have ensured that each album has been duly loved and appreciated. Half a decade after her third album, Chesapeake, she returns with her fourth, Tightrope Walker.
Tightrope Walker marks a change in Yamagata's approach to her craft. Enthralled by Philippe Petit's' 'there is no way' philosophy, she sought a way to apply the fearless French high-wire artists discipline and attitude to her own creative output. A prolific songwriter, her previous albums have seen her select the choice cuts of her compositions, whereas Tightrope Walker saw her take a gamble on 15. Without the security blanket of a wide selection, she had to work and rework these compositions till she was happy with the 10 that would form the collection.
The finished collection marks an artist who has found her new voice through a change in personal situation and well-thought-out collaboration. Now a mother, manager and producer, she has truly taken control of her career. While the album leans of 5 Grammy winning musicians to help create the finished sound, it is in the intricate blend of traditional instrumentation and experimental sounds, from rain to ironing boards, that Yamagata really finds her distinctive voice.
The album opens with the title track, which sees Yamagata observing Petit's greatest feat and allowing her own heart flutters to marry perfectly with the dramatic fear of the moment. While the album veers between mainstream appeal and left-leaning intelligent songcraft, as a finished product it boasts universal appeal.
With the magically understated I'm Going Back the album's most moving moment, it is in the radio pleasing Let Me Be Your Girl that Yamagata finds herself in career redefining territory as she could see her propelled into mainstream contender territory.
